Spring Break 2013: Barcelona, Baby!

Day 1

We left Munich for Barcelona in the afternoon on Sunday.  When we arrived in Barcelona we were immediately enthralled with the Spanish countryside and the drive into the city of Barcelona.  Once we arrived at our hotel we were amazed at the wonderful view of the Mediterranean Sea.  Our rooms overlooked the sea, and since we were on the 11th floor of the W Hotel we also had a great view of Barcelona.  So we decided to head to the beach to take a walk and have some of the amazing seafood we had already heard so much about.

Outside our hotel
The beach, Mediterranean Sea, and Barcelona in the background

We went to a restaurant off the beaten trail within walking distance of our hotel called Con Ros.  Immediately we were introduced to Spanish style eating.  Justin and I shared a bottle of wine, and so did Tim and Joanne.  We all shared mussels for an appetizer, and I had amazing paella for my main dish.  

Justin and me

Joanne and Tim and our empty mussels

Jon

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to rest up for our next full day of Spanish adventures.

Day 2

We woke up and headed out pretty early.  Our first stop was the Columbus Monument, which was made to honor Christopher Columbus, who is from Spain, and his accomplishment of finding America.

The beginning of our journey, the W Hotel in the background

Me and Jon with the Columbus Monument in the background

Columbus Monument

I found a lion to ride right below the Columbus Monument

Next, we headed to the metro, where we taught the DeLeons the ropes of riding underground.  We came out near the Placa de Espana, which is one of Barcelona's most important squares.

Fountain in the middle of Placa de Espana

Old bull fighting arena

Tim, Justin, Jon, and Joanne in front of the Venetian Towers

Venetian Towers

The Venetian Towers, located in Placa de Espana were made to mirror towers in Venice, Italy.  They mark the start of the road leading to the Montjuic Fountain and the Palau Nacional.

In front of the mini fountains leading up to the Montjuic Fountain
Palau Nacional is in the background (Barcelona National Art Museum)

On the steps in front of Montjuic Fountain and the 4 Columns (white columns in the background)

Next, we headed to the area where the 1992 Olympics were held.

Olympic Statue in the park leading to the stadium

1992 Olympic Stadium

Torre Calatrava (Communications Tower)

Palau Sant Jordi (indoor sporting arena part of the Olympic Stadium)

Outside the Olympic museum, my foot compared to Michael Jordan's

After experiencing the Olympic atmosphere, we walked a bit to the Montjuic Aerial Tramway and took a ride to the top of hill where Castell de Montjuic was located.

Barcelona from the aerial tramway

Riding in the tram to the top of the hill

Once we made it to the top of the hill we walked around Castell de Montjuic, which was an old military fortress.  We had fun walking around it.

Jon and Justin on an old cannon aiming towards the Mediterranean Sea

In front of Castell de Montjuic

Joanne and me on top of the roof overlooking Barcelona

The fortress courtyard, view from the roof

On the roof

The view of the Barcelona port

The DeLeon family in front of Castell de Montjuic

After walking around the military fortress we took a metro to the other side of Barcelona and had lunch right across the street from the Sagrada Familia.  We had a busy morning, so everyone was ready for a break and for some food.  We ate at Picasso Cafe and had a nice view of Sagrada Familia.

View of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia

After lunch we waited in line to see the inside of this famous cathedral.  The groundbreaking to begin building this cathedral started in 1882, and it is projected to be completely done being built between 2026-2028.

Inside Sagrada Familia

Joanne and me inside Sagrada Familia

Gaudi made the ceiling look like tree trunks

The view of Barcelona from one of the towers of Sagrada Familia

Justin and me at the top of Sagrada Familia

We took an elevator to the top of Sagrada Familia.  It was a beautiful view.  From the top Joanne and I walked down the tower steps, while the boys took the elevator back down.  Walking down the steps was fun because we were able to see some of the architecture up close.  The details were incredible.  On the walk down we also met a lady from Wisconsin, so her and Joanne took a picture with each other since Joanne is from Wisconsin too.

Next, we took the metro to Torre Agbar, which is a famous skyscraper, office building in the technological district of Barcelona.

Torre Agbar

From there we took another metro and walked a few blocks to the Arc de Triomf.  It was built for Spain's first international exposition in 1888.

Arc de Triomf

Justin and me in front of the Arc de Triomf

After seeing the Arc de Triomf we headed back to the hotel for a nap before dinner.  We had a long day of walking around Barcelona, so a rest was in order.  Jon decided not to go to dinner with us, so Tim, Joanne, Justin, and I went to the Wave, a restaurant in our hotel.  I had delicious tuna there.  Then we headed to bed to conclude our first full day in Barcelona.

Day 3

We started the day with a metro ride and long walk to Park Guell.  This park houses many of Gaudi's famous architectural work.  We saw the Gaudi house and other structures in the park that were quite intriguing.  It was such a perfect day to be walking around, so it was fun to experience the Spanish culture.

The pathway to the Gaudi house was done with his architecture

Building designed by Gaudi at the entrance to Park Guell

Gaudi House Museum

Lizard structure, these were sold as key chains throughout the park

Overlooking Park Guell

After walking around the park and enjoying Gaudi's architecture we headed to the metro.  We came out right by a Starbucks, so Joanne and I grabbed some chai tea lattes before heading on our walking journey.  We walked first to a house designed by Gaudi called Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera.  This house is know for not having a single straight line in its design.

Me and Joanne with our Starbucks drinks in front of Casa Mila

Me and Jon across the street from Casa Mila

There were interesting statues on the roof of the casa

Next, we walked a bit further down the street and found two more houses, Casa Batllo designed by Guadi and Casa Amatller designed by Cadafalch.  Casa Batllo was designed to look skeletal and for the Batllo family, who was well known in Barcelona at the time.  Casa Amatller was designed for Antoni Amatller, a chocolatier.  Both houses are known as being part of the "Block of Discord" or Illa de la Discordia.

Casa Batllo with its boney structure

Casa Amatller on the left and Casa Batllo on the right

Casa Amatller

After this we took the metro to La Rambla or Las Ramblas, a famous shopping street in Barcelona.  We ate lunch at a pizza shop on Las Ramblas and overlooked the street.  It was fun to people watch while we were eating.

Tim, me, Joanne, and Jon on La Rambla

After lunch we headed to one last stop for the day, the Barcelona Cathedral.  There was a tulip sale going on in front of the cathedral.  We enjoyed seeing the cathedral and then walking around the back streets of Barcelona, winding our way back to La Rambla.

We found my store along one of the back streets

Barcelona Cathedral

 After making our way back to Las Ramblas we decided to have some sangria and beer.  We enjoyed hanging out on La Rambla and people watching for a bit.  While we were drinking and relaxing a bird decided it was necessary to poop on Jon!  We had quite a laugh over it, and I was able to capture the moment.  You're welcome Chonny!

Beer and sangria on Las Ramblas

Delish!

Poop in the hair, ear, down the front of the shirt, and on the pants.  Well done bird, well done.

On the walk back to the hotel Joanne found Columbus

After we rested a bit we decided to head out again to have tapas for dinner.  We went to Cellar de Tapas and enjoyed a variety of tapas that we all shared.  It was a fun night of eating and enjoying each other.

Once we were back at the hotel again, Jon, Justin, and I decided to go to the bar on the top floor of our hotel for drinks.  It was like a lounge up there, but a bit more expensive than the bar in the lobby, so we headed back to the lobby, where I discovered one of the best cosmopolitans ever!

Jon, me, and Justin in the lobby

Day 4

We went tourist crazy the first two full days we were in Barcelona, so our last full day was much more laid back and relaxed.  We walked the beach and the boardwalk and had lunch out there.  It was so nice being in the warmth and enjoying the Mediterranean.

Joanne and I at lunch with the Spanish guitar player serenading us

On the boardwalk by our hotel

The rest of the day we just relaxed.  The joke all week was that it was always really windy at the W Hotel, so while we were trying to lay out by the pool the wind really picked up and it was a bit cold.  So we decided to head out to the beach in hopes that it wouldn't be as windy there, but unfortunately  it was.  So we headed back to our rooms to get ready for our last night of dinner in Barcelona.  We ate at the Bravo 24 in our hotel and had amazing food once again.  I ordered mussels and calamari, and it was the best seafood by far.  Such a fun night and a great way to end our stay in Barcelona.

Justin and me before dinner with the AMAZING cosmo

Our dinner was fancy with the food brought out on little stoves

Day 5

Our last day in Barcelona was short lived.  We basically woke up, packed, and took a taxi to the airport.  It was a wonderful trip!  Plus, it was great to see Spain with family.  We couldn't ask for anything more.  Spring Break 2013 was a success!